Born in 1877 in Le Havre, Raoul Dufy produced a large body of work through the art of painting, drawing, printmaking and textile design as well as by creating woodcuts and ceramics. A leading member of the Fauvist group of artists, Dufy was heavily influenced by Paul Cézanne after encountering his work in 1907. He continued to follow the Cubist movement until 1915 when his artistic language truly developed and matured. 

Dufy is known for his colorful series of works depicting leisure activities and landscapes. He revisited certain themes during his lifetime, including those from the French Riviera, opera, seaside, sailing regattas, horse racing and musical events. As Gertrude Stein once admirably said, "Raoul Dufy is pleasure itself." The joy and lightness conveyed throughout Dufy's work are not only due to the subject matter but the artist's distinct style and exceptional use of color. Dufy was often considered a follower of the two French eighteenth-century artists Jean-Antoine Watteau and Jean-Honoré Fragonard. In 1952, Dufy went on to win the International Grand Prix for painting with his commission for the 26th Venice Biennale.